Caldwell said Thursday that while the bulky item problem is getting better, he thinks pickups by appointment will help even more.

“Most jurisdictions around the county don’t have automatic pickup. You call and arrange pickup and in many cases it’s a private company who does it, but call to arrange for pickup may address the problem of people putting it out wherever,” Caldwell said.

The Honolulu City Council seems to agree. Councilmember Ann Kobayashi brought the bill forward and it passed its first reading Wednesday.

The bill calls for a pilot program in its first year that could become permanent.

A cost for the service has yet to be decided, but council members say it would be something reasonable.